WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration鈥檚 plea to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher-training money as part of its anti-DEI efforts, while a lawsuit continues.
The justices split 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the three liberal justices in dissent.
The cuts had been temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Boston, who found that they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. The federal appeals court in Boston turned away an appeal from the administration to allow them to resume.
The is among several the high court is considering in which the Justice Department argues that lower-court judges have improperly obstructed President Donald Trump鈥檚 agenda.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary restraining order sought by eight Democratic-led states that argued the cuts were likely driven by efforts from Trump鈥檚 administration to .
The Republican president also has signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of , and his administration has already started overhauling much of its work, including cutting dozens of contracts it dismissed as 鈥渨oke鈥 and wasteful.
The two programs at issue 鈥 the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development 鈥 provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued. They said data has shown the programs had led to increased teacher retention rates and ensured that educators remain in the profession beyond five years.
The majority found that the states can keep the programs running with their own money for now, but the federal government likely wouldn鈥檛 be able to recover the cash if they ultimately win the lawsuit.
The administration halted the programs without notice in February. Joun, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, found that the cancellations probably violated a federal law that requires a clear explanation.
The appellate panel that rejected the administration鈥檚 request for a stay also was made up of judges appointed by Democrats.
California is leading the ongoing lawsuit, joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.
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